CORTLAND, NY—Buffalo State (18-17) jumped out to an early lead, but could not hold on as it was eliminated from the double-elimination SUNYAC Championships today by top-seeded host Cortland (32-10) by an 8-4 count.
 
Stephanie Novo (Cheektowaga/Depew) collected two of the Bengals' eight hits, going 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Kate Brownell (Batavia/Oakfield-Alabama) was 1 for 3 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored, and Jean Stahl (West Seneca/West Seneca East) had a double and a run scored.
 
The Bengals made three pitching changes, using three pitchers in the game.  Senior Maddie Coneys (Clifton Park/Catholic Central) started the game and totaled three innings pitched, allowing four runs and four hits.  Alison Novak (Amherst/Williamsville North) suffered the loss in relief, allowing two runs in 1/3 inning of work, and Alexis Haley (Rochester/Aquinas) threw the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs.
 
Buffalo State jumped out to a quick 3-0 advantage in the top of the first inning.  After two-consecutive outs to start the game, Joanna Bardak (Amherst/Amherst) started the rally with a single up the middle, and two batters later, Brownell tripled down the line to score a pair of runs.  Brownell later scored on an error, and Buffalo State seemed in control early.
 
Cortland rallied to even the score in the bottom of the second, however, plating three runs on three hits and an error.  Novak relieve Coneys to start the third inning, but allowed a pair of home runs to give Cortland a 5-3 lead.  Coneys re-entered to get the final two outs of the inning. 
 
Buffalo State cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning with an RBI single by Novo that scored Stahl, but the Red Dragons pushed the lead back to two in the bottom of the frame.  Haley replaced Coneys in the circle with one out and two on, and the Red Dragons pushed a run across with an RBI double.
 
Cortland went on to add two more runs in the fifth inning, and the Bengals were only able to produce a single base runner over the final two innings.